Bristol City Council said it did not give Ms Klonowski a severance package but did admit her “contractual entitlement” had been met.

But a council source has told the Bristol Post that the former chief executive was permitted to leave with six months’ worth of salary – which equates to approximately £70,000 - without working her notice period.

Marvin Rees at City Hall

The accusations have also appeared in satirical political magazine, Private Eye.

The authority is keeping tight lipped about the matter and has refused to officially confirm if Ms Klonowski did leave with any cash, let alone how much.

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A Bristol City Council spokesperson said: “We cannot provide details of personal employment matters as this could breach data protection law. We can only confirm that the chief executive’s contractual entitlement has been met.”

News of the payment will doubtlessly prompt a few raised eyebrows, especially as it comes just over a year after Bristol City Council paid Ms Klonowski predecessor, Nicola Yates, a hefty £200,000 severance package.

Former chief executive of Bristol City Council, Nicola Yates

The payment also comes at a time when Bristol City Council is undertaking a series of wide-reaching cuts to plug its £106million deficit by 2022.

The authority has a poor track record of retaining chief executives, with three people having taken up and left the role since Marvin Rees was elected last year.